The Demon Crown

Off the coast of Brazil, a team of scientists discovers a horror like no other, an island where all life has been eradicated, consumed and possessed by a species beyond imagination. Before they can report their discovery, a mysterious agency attacks the group, killing them all, save one, an entomologist, an expert on venomous creatures, Professor Ken Matsui from Cornell University. Strangest of all, this inexplicable threat traces back to a terrifying secret buried a century ago beneath the National Mall: a cache of bones preserved in amber. The artifact was hidden away by a cabal of scientists - led by Alexander Graham Bell - to protect humankind. But they dared not destroy it, for the object also holds an astonishing promise for the future: the very secret of life after death. Yet, nothing stays buried forever. An ancient horror - dormant in the marrow of those preserved bones - is free once more, nursed and developed into a weapon of incalculable strength and malignancy, ready to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting world. To stop its spread, Commander Grayson Pierce of Sigma Force must survive a direct attack on the island of Maui.

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Of all the Rollins’ Sigma Force novels I’ve read so far, I still think his “Bone Labyrinth” is the best, and I find myself constantly comparing his other works to that standard. The Demon Crown is a good read but not great, and the ending seems rushed and a little fake. Also, I had a real problem with this one in believing that former assassin, Seichan (who is also Gray’s love interest) can suddenly turn from being a violent murderer who thrives on danger and killing into a tender loving mother-to-be. With that said, I still enjoyed learning about the real places, historic events and persons and the often fascinating but disturbing facts he weaves into his stories. And I love the way Rollins tells part of the story by going inside the head and body of a wasp, drawing his readers into the imagined world of the insect’s perspective – very cool.